Tipp beat Laois

[Onlooker]

That is a very valid point and you may well be correct.  I don't think that either having a 6 weeks break or playing 3 weeks in a row were ideal.  The 6 weeks break was a couple of weeks too long and Tipp lost 2 or 3 first choice players as a result, while playing 3 weeks in a row was certainly not ideal for Laois.  Whichever team won you could argue that the losers were at a disadvantage.  Even after 10 years of the qualifiers counties' first target is the Provincial Championship and it is difficult to be 100% for the 1st round of the qualifiers.  I still feel that Tipp were better than Laois in the last 10 minutes.  Why this was so is anyone's guess.